I was out last night, after dark, for the first time since getting the car and I must say I found the headlights mediocre at best. There was nothing wrong with the beam pattern they were just not very bright (the height control was set correctly for the load in the vehicle).

I also tried the fog lights and you almost have to stand up to notice any difference. They add a bit of light to about 4 ft in front of the car. Thankfully I seldom drive after dark.

Sounds like the fog lights will be good in fog then when visibility is less than 100 metres, help you see the side of the road, not shine back on you like full beam on does, and others might see you better with sidelight, dipped beam and fog lights.

 

As to the headlights and dipped and full beam that will need a bulb change to maybe get more lighting.

Edited 2 February, 20233 yr by toot

I have been looking at a pair of these.

https://www.powerbulbs.com/product/piaa-xtreme-white-plus-h4

I tried various halogens in my MkII in the past. Sadly (IMO) the projector lenses in the MkII with halogen's aren't fit for purpose.
I went down the HID kit route in the end. Much better. No idea what the current UK regs are on HID kits though.
 

How do I know what headlamp bulbs I require other than stripping out the old bulbs to check?

According to the VIN decoder, I have:

8JK      Ellipsoidal headlamps for driving on the left

8K0      Without special headlight control

 

The manual says Reflector H4 or Module H7 but what do I have?

The Haynes manual says Halogen H4LL and Halogen projector H7LL.

My headlamps look like Projector lamps in that they are small and about 75mm in diameter.

powerbulbs gives me the choice of Single headlight or Bi-focus (H4 or H7). I am just getting more or more confused.

 

Then I read about lamps with a single H7 but shuttered. Beginning to think I will just have to suffer the mediocre lights I have now.

This is the light unit fitted to my car. Is this just a standard H4 assembly?

It's a terrible projector with a shutter, try eating more carrots, there's not much to be done with it.

Thank you. I take it it just uses a single filament H7?

54 minutes ago, Jocko said:

Thank you. I take it it just uses a single filament H7?

 

Yes.

Look, the headlights on the Fabia are no better or worse than any other make of car with similar technology, I remember the sealed beam units that came as standard on Minis back when I started driving, like brown candles they were.

Consequently modern headlamps are a revelation by comparison, I have completely standard 60/55W halogens in my 2.0 and I find them perfectly adequate for tearing about in the pitch black because other road users are also lit and can be seen from much further away than in daylight.

Rally cars need crazy good lights because they drive ballistically fast, the rest of us simply don't need to turn night into day.

My advice is to turn the dash lighting down to minimum and have no other bright light source in the car, that way your night vision will be optimally configured for the task at hand.

As with most people my age I suffer from reduced night vision. Not enough to make driving dangerous but enough to make night driving uncomfortable.

Anything that improves my visibility at night is good. I try to avoid driving after dark but that is not always feasible.

My 2006 Jazz had better headlights than my 2009 Fabia both of which are far superior to the old sealed beam headlights (and even earlier) that I have driven behind in the past.

On 02/02/2023 at 17:40, @Lee said:

I tried various halogens in my MkII in the past. Sadly (IMO) the projector lenses in the MkII with halogen's aren't fit for purpose.
I went down the HID kit route in the end. Much better. No idea what the current UK regs are on HID kits though.
 

HID and LED replacement bulbs are permitted at MOT time.

 

(the silly government proposal was overturned when someone pointed out that many older vehicles had already been modified for good reason - better lighting, lower power usage, etc)

 

I’ve used HIDs in my bike for years. Brilliant.

 

But - the beam pattern must be ok to pass the MOT. And will be checked.

 

Some after market bulbs Do Not sit properly as per the OEM bulbs and throw a poor beam spread. Even though they are brighter. And might/will dazzle oncoming drivers. Not good.

Edited 4 February, 20233 yr by BoxerBoy
Typing error

Thanks @BoxerBoy I never knew they changed that HID/LED rule.   for your post.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/special-notice-01-21-headlamp-conversions/mot-special-notice-01-21-headlamp-conversions

HID and LED conversions for Class 3,4,5 and 7 vehicles first used on or after 1 April 1986 are illegal and will fail an MOT.

Class 1 and 2 motorcycles must not be failed for the defect ‘Light source and lamp not compatible’. The motorcycle inspection manual will be updated shortly, and the ability to select the defect within the MOT testing service will be removed.

If your issue is age-related nyctalopia then there's not much to be done other than to wear high contrast polarised yellow driving glasses and make sure you don't have early stage cataracts forming.

However you can still fit better bulbs, the consensus on here seems to be in favour of Philips Nightbreakers so maybe give them a go.

2 hours ago, BoxerBoy said:

HID and LED replacement bulbs are permitted at MOT time.

 

(the silly government proposal was overturned when someone pointed out that many older vehicles had already been modified for good reason - better lighting, lower power usage, etc)

 

I’ve used HIDs in my bike for years. Brilliant.

 

But - the beam pattern must be ok to pass the MOT. And will be checked.

 

Some after market bulbs Do Not sit properly as per the OEM bulbs and throw a poor beam spread. Ben though. They are brighter. And might/will dazzle oncoming drivers. Not good.

 

you need to re-read the changes, it was not overturned completely........ basically it affects motorcycles and older cars only.

33 minutes ago, UrbanPanzer said:

 

you need to re-read the changes, it was not overturned completely........ basically it affects motorcycles and older cars only.

From the link varooom posted: Vehicles presented with converted halogen headlamp units first used on or after 1 April 1986 will continue to be failed.

Before I bought the Fabia I had looked at a Focus and its previous MOT was a fail because LED bulbs had been fitted to the headlights.

Your quoting what I said ?

 

The bit in black you highlighted is what I said, or have I misunderstood your point ?

Edited 4 February, 20233 yr by UrbanPanzer

I’m not fussed about car lamps because I don’t **** around with my excellent LED headlamps.

 

And my bike strolls through an MOT every year with an excellent HID conversion.

 

I still reckon a car will get through an MOT if the headlamps are pointing the right way.

 

What do the MOT Guides say about LED bulbs

“Check HID and LED headlamps for mandatory levelling and cleaning devices” and the assessor needs to check the lighting for “Operation“, “Security” and “Condition” which essentially means that they need to make sure that they work and are fitted correctly.

That’s it. Nothing else is mentioned regarding the use of LED headlight bulbs.

Now you would be forgiven for thinking that aftermarket LED bulbs would therefore fail an MOT as you would not have a self-levelling or headlight cleaning system installed. However Section 4.1.5 of the MOT inspection manual states that not all vehicles are fitted with a levelling device so if your vehicle doesn’t have one, it would not be tested.

Brexit 2021 Update

Please note that since January 2021, the MOT Inspection manual has been updated to include LED bulbs.

Section 4.1.4 now states the following:

“Existing halogen headlamp units should not be converted to be used with high intensity discharge (HID) or light emitting diode (LED) bulbs. If such a conversion has been done, you must fail the headlamp.”

This is a brand new update that seems to only focus on headlights.

There are no mentions to fail other LED bulbs such as brake lights, tail lights or reversing lights.

With no other mention of after-market LEDs in the MOT guidelines, all that is left is for them to check is that the beam pattern is correct and the colour of the light is predominantly white, white with a blue tint or yellow. Any good quality after-market LED bulbs will meet this criteria.

As long as the beam pattern and the colour of the light is correct – then there is no reason an LED upgrade bulb will fail an MOT.

Believe what you like guys but you are wrong.

Motorcycles won't be failed at present but cars can be, IF THEY HAVE BEEN CONVERTED FROM HALOGEN and are later than 1986.

And, not an MOT failure, but any exterior light converted to LED from halogen is illegal for use on the road and this even includes number plate lamps.

 

1 hour ago, UrbanPanzer said:

Your quoting what I said ?

 

The bit in black you highlighted is what I said, or have I misunderstood your point ?

Yes I quoted what you said. And what you said states Vehicles presented with converted halogen headlamp units first used on or after 1 April 1986 will continue to be failed. (my underline).

Our vehicles are all after 1986.

Well just to chip in here I had a 2007 mk ii Octavia with projector lights for 13 years and for the vast majority of that was with a HID conversion and it never failed an MOT. 

1 minute ago, skomaz said:

Well just to chip in here I had a 2007 mk ii Octavia with projector lights for 13 years and for the vast majority of that was with a HID conversion and it never failed an MOT. 

It didn't become an MOT failure until January 2021 and yes, some MOT inspectors let them through, but it is still a fail under the current regulations.

10 hours ago, Jocko said:

It didn't become an MOT failure until January 2021 and yes, some MOT inspectors let them through, but it is still a fail under the current regulations.

 

HID conversions were banned in 2018 if not earlier and it passed since then. 

 

Most MOT testers seem to be pragmatic and if the beam pattern is OK pass them.  With a projector with shutter there's much less chance of glare due to the way the optics work.  Reflectors are a different story which is why I still have halogens in the Kodiaq. 

 

You can make your own decision but given the difference in light output if I were in your position I'd make the change.  It will pass the MOT I'm sure and, if it doesn't its not a big job to change the bulbs back to halogen and retest...   Maybe 10 minutes work each side? 

 

Up to you but if your that bothered... 

9 minutes ago, skomaz said:

Up to you but if your that bothered... 

I'm not particularly bothered. As long as a car's beam pattern meets the MOT standard I couldn't care if they have HIDs, LEDs or paraffin lamps. varoom was delighted that they had changed the law to allow HID and LED conversions. I was just pointing out that they hadn't and they are still illegal and a possible MOT failure. I do not have an axe to grind either way.

I may try an HID conversion for the Fabia as it is not too expensive an option but if I do so I will be fully cognisant of the facts.